《Naruto: An Ideal Shinobi》 Prologue In a dim-lit room, the sound of typing and knuckle cracking sounded at a regular interval. The room is not big, with a single bed and a table and just enough space for the tenant to walk. Kurt is currently working on his project or, rather to be more precise, his team''s project right now, which is due in just two days. "BAM" He suddenly slammed his hand on the table, startling the other guy who is typing something on his laptop. "sigh" "Bro... You alright?" Asks Kurt''s friend and one of his teammates for this project, Kenji. He knew the project was due in a couple of days. But, they are still getting errors while running specific functions of their application. Their other teammate, Phil ''coincidentally'' had an important issue at home he had to handle, so he informed them and went home just a day before and had not responded yet. "I knew that son of b*tch wouldn''t do his part." cursed Kurt. ".. well, nothing we can do now. All coz of that cursed professor Mallick for forcing him upon us. We should''ve refused then and there itself." Originally it was only the two of them, but then came Mallick, their class tutor, asking them to add another guy who had been on long leave and did not have a pair, to which they reluctantly agreed. But, now they look back at it, they understood their fault. They placed that dildo in the right position and sat on it themselves. In fact, they asked nothing from Phil, knowing it might turn out like that. But, that guy was compelled to use some honeyed words to let him have some work. Again, they placed that dildo in the right position and sat on it themselves. "Did it get any better?" asked Kenji. "..no, i got a few more errors when I found the previous one." Kurt answered in a quiet voice, embarrassed. It was known to them that Phil had not completed his part prior to just a few days ago, but Kurt did not want to do it himself and wanted Phil to do it even if it meant to force him like a parent watching over their kid doing homework.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Alas, he didn''t expect Phil to pull something like this out of his ass at the end. The work he needed to do was not crucial, but now that they have deployed the whole application, they are facing issues which should''ve been rectified during testing (which they did not intend to do from the very beginning). " ... it''s my fault, i shouldn''t have challenged you to watch Naruto at that point of time." Kenji said ruefully. Kurt was a bleach fanboy and Kenji was a Naruto fanatic. So, usually their fights happen to see which is better among the big 3. Kenji had watched both, but Kurt had only watched a few episodes of Naruto. So, he challenged Kurt to watch the entire Naruto series before judging and that happened right before the week of Phil''s asspull. Kurt did not bother and let Kenji take on Phil''s work and continued watching Naruto until Kenji realized he couldn''t complete the task on his own. "Even if you accepted to let me help, we still might not have completed this by now." Kurt can see the error is not a serious problem, but he doesn''t want to rely on his luck that the professor during the review wouldn''t touch upon this specific functionality. That''s why he is putting in this much work. "So, how was Naruto until you watched it? SURELY better than bleach, wasn''t it?" "I only watched till old man Hogoromo gave them power to defeat Madara. So far it''s fine. I wouldn''t say better than Bleach. Bleach is goated. Ichigoat is still better." Kenji scoffed. "As if! Base Naruto can whoop Ichigo''s ass." "Talking about power scaling, are we now? Then." Their trash talking ensued for a quarter an hour until they understood how fucked they are if they couldn''t complete the project on time and got back to work. Around 2:00 AM "Tch" Kurt clicked his tongue in annoyance as another exception was thrown at his face. He took a deep breath and stood up, did some stretches and went to his bag, rummaging through it to find if there were any snacks. He found the box of cookies which Phil gave him when he joined the team. He took it and settled back on his seat. Kenji had fallen asleep about an hour ago. Kurt scrolled through the code to the section where the error was shown as he munched some cookies vigorously. They hadn''t had dinner because of this, so he was literally starving. When he finished half a packet, he stopped and gulped a few mouthfuls of water. ''Let me leave the remaining for Ken if he wakes up in the middle.'' Kurt thought as he closed the cookie box and placed it on the table, beyond his laptop. Time passed slowly, Kurt still hadn''t found a solution to the error. Suddenly, he felt uncomfortable. He didn''t mind it at the beginning, but slowly he started to sweat a lot and his chest felt heavy. By the time he understood that he was having a heart attack, he couldn''t create noise and as he heaved heavily, he felt like something lifting him and lost consciousness. A new Kekkei Genkai? Konohagakure/The Leaf Village In a well-lit room with walls painted in white and a mattress in grey color in the Yamanaka household, a toddler of around age 2 was lying in a futon with a blonde woman who had placed her hand atop him. The toddler had light brown hair and eyebrows that were now frowning as if he was uncomfortable. A greenish-blue glow can be seen in the blonde woman''s hand, and her brows were also furrowed even more intensely than the boy''s. After a short while, the glow dimmed, and she opened her emerald green eyes with a tired face. "sigh, I didn''t find anything weird with his mind, Yoshio." With that, a man with dark brown hair and black eyes in a black ninja suit came in from outside the room as he was waiting for the diagnosis to be done, with a worried yet exasperated look on his face. He turned his head towards the Yamanaka clan member and asked in a tone filled with reluctance to believe such a statement. "Are you absolutely sure, Aoi? Then how does he keep on falling asleep every once in a while? All the medics I consulted in the village have given the same diagnosis that ''there is nothing wrong with his body; it may have to do with his mind.'' But now you''re saying that there are no issues with his mind; I just¡ª" Aoi, the Yamanaka clan woman, cut him off before he could finish his rambling and complaints. "I didn''t say there are no issues. I said there is nothing weird with his mind." "What do you mean?" Yoshio, the child''s father, asked hurriedly in confusion. "I mean, I don''t see any problems within his mind. I can''t check completely, as all humans close their mind to any outside interference, even if it''s a child. It''s a protective mechanism our body does on its own. If I try forcefully, it may cause damage as he is still a toddler, but as far as I can check, there is no damage to his mind at all." "Then¡ª" Yoshio hurriedly interfered again, only to be cut off by Aoi. "BUT there is an anomaly. Renji''s soul might be stronger than it should be for a 2-year-old toddler. From what I can see, its strength is similar to a 9 or 10-year-old''s. I have not seen such a case before." Hearing this, Yoshio went silent. He couldn''t think of anything like this in the past either. "What if... just what if it''s something like a possession?" Yoshio meekly asked as if afraid of his own question. Aoi gave him a knowing look; in this world there are clans with some hiden jutsu and even probably some Kekkei Genkai, which would allow them to possess another person, but that is mostly done on Shinobi, not on a child that is barely 2 years old and yet to awaken his chakra. So, she shook her head.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "I know where you are coming, but I will have to deny, toddlers cannot be possessed. Their mind is far too fragile, and even if someone pulls it off, there will be heavy damage to their soul causing their mind to become vulnerable and unstable, and that should''ve been awfully noticeable for a Yamanaka like me. They wouldn''t be able to hide it if they''re injured under my cognition. So, rest easy; little Renji is not possessed.-" Yoshio visibly relaxed at her statement. Although she was still a Chunin, her proficiency and knowledge in this regard were still some of the best in the village. "-I suspect it may probably be a Kekkei Genkai evolution that grants its wielder a stronger soul and mind. But hey, again this is just my speculation; after all, how many Kekkei Genkai are out there that can provide their wielder with benefits from such a young age? Even the ''Sharingan'' and ''Byakugan'' has to be awakened. Even so, if my speculation is correct, then..." Aoi did not finish her sentence, but her implication was loud and clear for Yoshio. Yoshio Fuma from the Fuma clan of the Leaf village/Konohagakure. The Fuma clan and the Uchiha clan are blood-related, but although it is the case, Fuma clansmen do not possess the Uchiha''s renowned Kekkei Genkai, Doujutsu, the Sharingan. There is no clear evidence or timeline as to when or why the Uchiha clan and the Fuma clan separated, but they have been close allies even during the warring era, before the formation of the Leaf Village. Even though they are close allies, to the point Fuma is considered a subsidiary of the Uchiha by some, it is impossible for them to not have a longing and desire towards a Kekkei Genkai, especially when the blood-related Uchiha has such a powerful one. It has always been a sore spot for them. But now when Yoshio heard that there is a possibility for their clan to have gained one, he couldn''t calm down his racing heart¡ªnot when it is related to his son. He took a deep breath and calmed his mind. Irrational or hurried decisions and words may give rise to problems that they do not wish to face. Aoi Yamanaka, when she saw Yoshio taking a deep breath to calm down, asked "If you really want to know more, I could get a few Jounins from my clan to check. I would not recommend for you to knock on the door of one of the Sannins over something that is not confirmed." The Sannin she was talking about is none other than Orochimaru, the most knowledgeable person when it comes to the body and soul in the Leaf village or possibly the entire world. "Thanks for the offer, but I will have to decline. As you said, it is but a possibility. I would have to discuss this with my clan elders and higher-ups. I would like to ask you to keep this incident and my son''s condition a secret at least until we are clear on the situation." requested Yoshio with his head slightly bowed. "Why, of course. Even if you do not ask this of me, anything related to our patients will be kept as an absolute secret unless it involves national security or the patient themselves wanting it to be shared. It is something that I, as Yamanaka and a medic ninja (iryo nin), had sworn over my nindo. An oath that we had made and won''t be broken, so rest assured, Yoshio. You know me; after all, we knew each other even back then during the academy days..." Aoi waved her hands as she said this with a smile. Yoshio nodded with a smile and picked up his son Renji, who was still asleep in his arms, and left. The next day, Aoi requested an audience with the Yamanaka clan head, Inoichi Yamanaka. Though what they discussed went mostly unnoticed and ''unknown''. -- A new Kekkei Genkai? -2 As Yoshio left the Yamanka household, his face became passive. He trusted that Aoi wouldn''t lie to him about his son''s condition, but he wasn''t naive enough to think that she would keep it a secret. After all, the stakes involved are too big for her to contain within herself. The Yamanaka clan would be informed of this without any delay. A new Kekkei Genkai¡ªeven the Hokage wouldn''t gloss over such news. He was hurrying back to the Fuma clan to discuss and make a decision as soon as possible. All the excitement he felt when he heard of the speculation has vanished. Now, he is truly anxious; if it''s truly a Kekkei Genkai, the various political schemes that the Fuma clan would have to go through will be insufferable, and worse, Renji might never be able to be truly ''free''. He would have to always have someone to protect him until he grows up; even the matter regarding his marriage will not be under his control. As someone who did marry outside of his clan, Yoshio disliked that very notion that his son might be forced to marry someone due to politics and preserving the Kekkei Genkai. And if it is not a Kekkei Genkai, it is even scarier, as his son might be suffering from a disease that is yet to be found. With a heavy heart, he reached his home, which was a bit away from the Fuma clan. Ever since he made the decision to marry his lover, who was from a different clan, his relationship with the clan, to put it mildly, hasn''t been great. It is to the point that the clan did not even bother to query about his son''s illness all this while after their first check-up. "Yoshi, what''s with this face? What did they say? Did they find anything?" asked Arisu worriedly after getting Renji from her husband. "I think... we have a lot to talk about." -- "No way..." "I know, right! It was unbelievable when I heard this theory as well. What do you think we should do?" Yoshio asked his wife, who now has a stunned face filled with worry. Arisu was a woman in her late 20s who had black hair and pupils and was dressed in sandal-colored pajamas. She too was a ninja, a Chunin from the Kurama clan, who are renowned for their talent in genjutsu. "I-... you know Yoshi, my Kurama clan specializes in genjutsu."Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Of course I know. Are you saying Renji is so talented that he caught himself in a genjutsu without being taught how to cast it even while not having chakra?" Yoshio chuckled as he made light-hearted banter, trying to ease the atmosphere even a little bit. But, unexpectedly, that statement only caused Arisu to panic more. Seeing his wife clenching her fists and looking at the floor absentmindedly. Yoshio touched her shoulder, startling her awake. She took a deep breath. "Yoshi, what I am about to tell you is my clan''s deepest secret." Sensing his wife''s solemn mood and tone, Yoshi''s back straightened as he perked up his ear to listen. "Our clan''s talent in genjutsu is not a secret; it is not a Kekkei Genkai either, so, mostly, it is always overlooked. But there had been an occurrence once in our history where a kid born in the Kurama clan had a talent in genjutsu so high that they were able to materialize it." Yoshio gulped. ''Materializing a genjutsu? Had she been fed with some bullshit in her clan to boast their prestige?" Many useless conjectures and thoughts arose in his mind, but he shattered all those immediately. Arisu was a chunin, a genjutsu specialist even; no way she would believe it without enough proof backing it. "So is it your clan''s Kekkei Genkai?" "No... Listen, as I said, it was talent, not anything to do with bloodline evolution. Since when I heard about it, I started to collect everything possible regarding it out of sheer curiosity. However, with my social status, there was not much I could do. But, after reaching the Chunin rank, I was able to finally confirm the conjecture that it was not a one-time occurrence and may have happened multiple times in the past." "Are you saying that our son might be one of those talented ones??" "I can''t say; after all, it was just my conjecture." "Why didn''t you say this earlier then?! We could''ve avoided half of the problem we have now if that is the case!" "Because even that one story I heard did not mention anything like this, that talent was only known to the clan after that person passed 13 years old and started performing genjutsu on a regular basis. Renji is barely 2 years old. Do you expect me to be a seer or something? Have you become stupid?" "sigh..." Yoshio sighed as he realized that he subconsciously shouted at his wife. As he was going to apologize for it, a sudden thought hit him; he paused and looked at his wife with a doubt as he asked, "What happened to that person? Such a genius should''ve held a name for himself. Why haven''t we heard of him before? Was he a secret weapon? Where is he now?" Arisu remained silent with her fist clenched even more tightly. After a long pondering, she spoke in a quiet voice, like mumbling to herself, but those words felt like thunder in Yoshio''s ears. "They refused to share it with me. But the clues I found made it seem like he did not meet a good ending because of the very power he possessed." ** While they were talking, things that would determine or even control his future. Kurt, or rather the now Renji, is finally ready to wake up from the trance he had been in for over a year now. --- The Kurama clan, I believe, was an anime-only clan. It''s not related to the Nine-tails Kurama that was sealed inside Naruto. Real & Alien A year and a half before all this fiasco. Renji, who was just 4 months old back then, awakened from his sleep, and just like any other infant of that age, his eyes were clear, but the expression was odd as if he was confused. He felt heavy and stuffed, mentally. He looked around and could perceive the surroundings clearly, but he felt the world spinning, albeit slightly, like he was drunk and felt high from alcohol. This was the first instance where it all began or, in a way, started to manifest. There was no pain or uncomfortable feeling in his body, but he just couldn''t think like he normally did or even form any logical thoughts. He behaved like a pre-programmed machine, unlike what one would expect from a reincarnated individual like him. He cried when he was hungry and didn''t have an ounce of control over his excretion. Just a normal child. As he grew up, these symptoms did not go away; if anything, they became intense. Renji was able to pronounce his first words with little difficulty and started walking when he was barely a year old. Except for being a very sleepy child, he was not any different, no matter how one looked at it. But it all changed when his age crossed 18 months; his expression started to become even more trance-like, and he fell asleep far too often for children his age. At some point, he was only awake for seven hours a day, causing extreme stress and worry to his parents, who brought him to the Leaf Children''s Hospital every now and then to check his health, only to find no proper solution. At first they convinced themselves with the fact that the consulted doctors claimed nothing was wrong with Renji''s body. But, seeing the condition worsening day by day, they visited a popular medic ninja hoping to find the possible underlying cause, only to have their hopes shattered. Over and over, there was the same diagnosis irrespective of the consultant. ''I don''t find anything wrong.'' But how can the parents accept it? Even the little solace they found in these diagnoses dried out at some point. So finally, they couldn''t take it anymore and decided to spend their savings to get an appointment with a Jounin medic ninja (iryo nin) who, in the end, also didn''t find anything amiss but gave the suggestion to check the child''s mind just in case. That is how Renji ended up under the care of Aoi Yamanaka. While all these incidents were happening, his parents worried, misunderstanding sparking as everyone twisted the situation to their own understandings and desires; all Renji felt was a spinning world where whenever he was awake, his body moved on its own and did things by instinct without him having any conscious control over it.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. And when he was asleep, he fell into dream after dream where he experienced scenarios that were difficult to explain, which felt familiar, very intimate, forming an indescribable emotion in his heart. These dreams repeated like a never-ending cycle that overwhelmed him to no end. That is until this day when it just vanished, like a display going blank when the power runs out. He awoke from the dream. It''s not the first time, but yet it felt like it has been ages since he woke up, like this is the first time he truly ever woke up. He was confused at this; he felt different, but he couldn''t point a finger to what it was that made it different. Everything in the surrounding was a familiar sight to him, but his subconscious, though, told a different story. He stretched with a lazy yawn and stood up from his bed and went out of his room, or he tried to. The door was locked, and he couldn''t reach the lock with his height. ''Great! a-'' He thought before his mind went blank for a moment. ''What was that? NO! What is this?'' Renji grabbed his forehead in confusion and panic. Those thoughts that resounded in his mind just now were not of the language that he had ever heard or spoken, at least not the one from when he was awake. He scavenged through his mind to understand what happened. Little by little, like the grains of sand moving in the hourglass, his mind became clear as a distinction formed in his memories. One, which he found to be the real deal, that involved his parents, his surroundings, and his experiences so far. Second, the other one, which he termed as alien, had very odd memories that defied the logic by existing in both clear and unclear manners. Everything related to that memory can be devised and labeled into two further categories. Non-living and living. All the knowledge on the former: Non-living, was clear as fresh spring water, like he had learned them all or rather engraved them in his bones. It also included certain memories that matched with his real memories, but the ones here felt different, like they were from a third-person perspective. He decided to visit them later to find out what it truly is about. But, not now; now he got something that was even more mysterious, something that induced the emotion of heaviness and fear that he had never felt before. The later part of that division: living; every time he tries to recall it, a heart-gripping uneasiness finds its way to him, making him shudder. Renji''s breathing became ragged as he clenched his little fists. ''It''s okay, it''s... okay.'' He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down as he attempted to recall that second part in his memory, causing his breath to become even more ragged. He was the only one present in that little room, with the only audible sound being his own heavy breathing, which was eventually broken by his sudden gasp. His body went cold and rigid with his eyes wide and mouth agape. "De... DEAD?!!" With that, Renji fell unconscious. What (not) to believe? Renji''s Home Under the moonlight, Arisu Kurama, Renji''s mother, took a deep breath as she suppressed a sigh while she paced around in the courtyard. Ever since the talk with her husband on the matter regarding her son''s condition, she had been feeling on edge. She couldn''t completely disregard her findings and theories of the past in hopes of it not turning true; even her attempt at consoling herself that nothing has been certain so far only increases her anxiety, as it''s that very uncertainty that scared her. ''There was so much data, yet still nothing that could match with this situation!'' Arisu grumbled in her mind. The ambiguity of her son''s condition and the unknown past regarding the person with that talent were eating her away. She had tried to revisit all the details she had gathered years ago about the ''Kurama''s Extreme Genjutsu Talent'', but she couldn''t find anything that was even remotely related to the current situation. Making things worse, the relationship between Arisu and her clan grew somewhat awkward after her marriage with Yoshio; in the end, after all, she was still a Chunin who belonged to the Kurama clan. Although she couldn''t ask them directly, she had tried to gather information from her contacts, but it bore no fruit. ''I wonder what decision Fumas will make...'' Yoshio was out to discuss the situation with the clan higher-ups; after all, the Yamanaka already know of this, and if it came to the clan''s ears through other means instead of them, it will only make things worse than they already are. So, Yoshio had already contacted a trustable elder from his clan with whom he was well acquainted and informed on this, which led up to the meeting that was happening tonight. The husband-wife pair had unanimously made the decision to hide the fact about Renji''s trance-like state that he seemed to be in in recent days and decided to only reveal about the part of him being like a hypersomnia patient, sleeping for long hours even during the day, that, along with the revelations from the Yamanaka. Fortunately, his trance-like condition was only told to the Yamanaka before they performed the diagnosis, and the Kurama clan wouldn''t be able to get wind of it anytime soon. After all, the Kurama clan''s secret was something that was only known to a select few. As long as the Kurama clan itself did not find out about his condition, it shouldn''t be an immediate problem. In the shinobi world, keeping a clan''s secret is directly tied to their survivability and strength; if not, the clans wouldn''t be so closed off against others as they are. If there is anyone who can see through this and suspects, then they can only blame their bad luck.Stolen story; please report. They are completely aware that they cannot stop the prying eyes from trying to deduce the truth. ''Not when it may involve the giants like the Hokage, the Uchiha clan, and even the other clans such as their own and the Yamanaka.'' However, they had decided to take this gamble; it was something related to their child, and they did not want to take any more risks. She can only hope that they can suppress this news as much as possible. so that their child can live a normal life where he can go to the academy, become a Chunin, or even probably a Jounin should be achievable if he tries hard with the help of the clans and his parents. Although the normal life she had imagined was in no way comparable to a normal life of an ordinary person. While she was absent-mindedly mulling over this, she was brought back to her senses by a sudden noise that started to come from Renji''s room. It did not sound loud even in the middle of the night, something that would require one to have enhanced hearing to be able to hear it. She was puzzled; when was the last time Renji ever woke up in the middle of the night? Months back! That''s why she came out of the room without any worry of having to accompany him while he was asleep. She paused for a second because of the sudden change but hurried to the room the next moment, feeling something might be wrong. When she reached the room, her intuition was proven to be right. Renji was there, unconscious. Her heart began to beat rapidly at the sight of her son collapsed on the floor away from his futon, where he should be sleeping while completely drenched in sweat. "Ren!" She picked him up from the floor, shook his body as she softly slapped his cheek, calling out his name; alas, there was no response. She checked his pulse; it was stable, but his body was abnormally cold. She conjured up a basic water jutsu and conjured up some water to splash it on his face. After two times splashing water on his face, finally his eyelids twitched, bringing some peace to Arisu. "Ren... are you alright? What happened? Did you have a nightmare? Does your body feel weird?" Arisu tried to inquire of him as calmly as possible in order to not give him any pressure, and it successfully failed as she barraged him with questions out of worry. "...m.o.m." After a few seconds, Renji''s mind finally cleared up, and when he looked up at his mother, he spaced out, and tears welled up in his eyes. He called out to her; his tone was as if he spoke for the first time after a very long while. Observing Renji''s reaction, Arisu pulled him into a hug to console him while reciting, "It''s okay, sweetie... calm down. See, I''m here, I''m here, so nothing bad will happen..." She was not sure whether it was just a nightmare or it was related to his condition, but now she did not bother to try and find out either; she just wanted to console her child and assure him nothing would happen as long as she was there, irrespective of whatever he was or whatever he was experiencing. While she was consoling him, she didn''t get to notice his reaction after that. An expression no child of his age should make, ever. As he gazed at his mother, his face screamed of absolute fear; fear of losing her. Two Years Two years passed. Ren was now 4 years old. In the past two years, his life had gone through serious changes, especially his mentality and attitude, which were no longer those of a typical child his age. He was no longer the same hypersomniac kid who was always asleep. Ever since that night when his mother found him passed out on the floor in his room, he hadn''t been the same, and neither had his parents. Their behavior and lifestyle had changed so much that his father rarely came home, and his mother was always busy with something. They didn''t just leave him alone though; his mother took him wherever she went, much to his annoyance. He had formed a hypothesis that his mother was gathering information on something or someone, but he couldn''t be sure, as whatever happened in those places they visited never reached his ears. He couldn''t make a reliable guess on what it could be either; after all, Arisu had been trying to gather information on the Kurama clan''s secret over the years, even before he was born, something he was completely unaware of. He started to panic and became anxious, thinking that maybe the village had discovered his secret somehow and might be scheming something behind his back which is why his parents had this sudden change in their routine. This was a doubt he couldn''t shake off. He had even foolishly considered a plan to eavesdrop on his parents'' conversations to understand what was going on. Alas, how could someone like him do that against two Chunin? It was simply impossible the way he was. He spent his time worrying that maybe he would be kidnapped tomorrow for research, or perhaps even an Anbu was stationed at his place to keep an eye on him. Months passed, but nothing happened. Like any regular person, he eventually started to doubt his own thoughts and wondered to himself, "Maybe I was being paranoid?" He didn''t know; he never got to know even after two years. So, seeing that he couldn''t find a single clue or piece of evidence to make his suspicions seem true, he could only silently wonder if he was wrong all along¡ªor was he? He knew that stressing over something beyond his control was a waste of time, so he stopped caring. He decided to focus on the future and let things take their course. ''But I couldn''t just pretend like nothing happened and act like a normal child; after all, it''s a shinobi village, and almost everyone I meet here could be a murderer. Even if not, that transformation jutsu itself requires acting! If I really try to force my hand, it would be like a rookie TikToker against a veteran actor.''Stolen novel; please report. ''Well, most importantly, I don''t even know how someone my age should act! If only that goddamn memory had brought that knowledge along too...'' Alas, he could only daydream. If life were that convenient, we wouldn''t need to dive into novels to escape the reality along with the dicks and bitches it brings. (Okay, that went off-topic.) Fortunately, he had been unconscious throughout his check-up with the Yamanaka, or who knows what he would have done if he had known a Yamanaka had freely examined his mind; even though they found nothing, just that alone would have made Ren sick. Blissfully unaware, he just went along with his mother wherever she went. Probably due to some great virtue from his past life, this event turned out not to be entirely useless, as he got to know more about this world and his village which helped him to form some reliable connections to the fictional world in his memory. He knew that the fourth Hokage was still alive, meaning the canon of that anime hadn''t begun yet. He spent a lot of time preparing a set of possibilities and actions he should take. ''First, I have to accept the fact that I may have been reincarnated if those memories are from my past life and I died, given how it ended.'' ''Second, the fictional animated world in my memories is very likely the same world as this, but I need to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of those memories with caution.'' ''Third, I must have had a family, without a doubt. But I couldn''t recall them¡ªnot even their names or faces. All of them were blank.'' As mentioned earlier, all memories and knowledge related to non-living things were vivid, but those concerning living things were broken and fragmented to the point where he could barely make sense of his relationships with those figures, which were in the form of silhouettes. ''Fourth, I''ll have to stay away from certain groups and people until I verify the reliability of these memories, like the Yamanaka clan, Danzo, Orochimaru, and all the higher-ups in the village and the clans, if possible!'' (LOL) ''There''s also a possibility that someone might have deliberately implanted these memories in my mind, although I find that highly unlikely; after all, I have a clan behind me, and my parents are Chunins. If someone wanted to experiment, there are plenty of other ways to do that which are far less risky.'' The study lessons with his clan (which usually start at age 4) were about to begin in less than a week. However, Renji''s parents had decided on a mixed schedule: he would be homeschooled but visit the clan teaching grounds for social exposure with other kids his age. Ren was now at a point where he was comfortable with the language, both speaking and writing, for which his parents had called him a "genius". They had contacted a retired teacher who would mentor him and guide him in learning the normal studies to the prerequisite to be a shinobi and others. ''Honestly, I''m looking forward to this¡ª learning more about this world and eventually training in this mysterious power called chakra. I''ll also be able to see how far ahead I am compared to the fictional story of Naruto. It will give me an idea of how long I''ll have to wait to prove my conjecture.'' There was a solid way to verify his conjecture, and he just had to wait until it happened¡ª The Nine-Tails attack. --- I''ve been sick for the past couple of days and was barely able to finish up this half-done chapter; I might not update for a couple of days. PS: I have changed the writing style a bit in this chapter compared to previous ones, adding some author thoughts/comments in the middle in an attempt to make it funny. Please let me know whether it works or it breaks the immersion this novel provides.